It’s the only thing that’s stayed glued to my Facebook wall—that review of Louie’s.
You would think a war has started given the responses. Forget “Je Suis Charlie,” and Ohio State fans rioting after a victory. In Baton Rouge, you mess with Louie’s, you’re tempting fate.
But why is it this way?
Fact: Louie’s is one of the oldest restaurants in Baton Rouge. Fact: The majority of Baton Rougeans love it because they ate there when they were drunk one night. Fact: It’s one of the few local establishments that’s open after midnight.
Fact: They have a new location that is everything the old location was, multiplied, meaning there is more seating, more parking and more interior space for that greasy smell to cover. There are more student-waiters who probably aren’t that great, but cut them some slack, too. Louie’s has never been or never will be some fine dining establishment.
Fact: Louie’s isn’t the greatest thing in Baton Rouge. Is it up there? Maybe. Hey, I love chicken fried steak and eggs (a dish that’s pretty impossible to screw up) as much as the next bro, but I hate smelling like it for the rest of the day.
Could the food critic have done something more, tried a few other dishes? Maybe, but it’s an opinion. It’s her experience.
As long as I’ve been here, any suggestion that Baton Rouge might be faltering in an area gets a mighty wag of the finger, a dose of eyebrow slants and its own topic on Tiger Droppings.
The fact that this city gauges its likes and dislikes according to anonymous opinions on Tiger Droppings (a place where its members’ top three loves are New Orleans, Phish and the eventual firing of Les Miles) is another column in itself.
When a review comes out with—God forbid—constructive criticism, patrons and residents balk at the suggestion that something could be better. Frankly, this only brings the city’s culinary aspirations down.
Everything and everyone should strive to be better. Why does a diner get carte blanche? Because you went to Louie’s one night and faintly remember having sort of crispy hashbrowns, covered in condiments and eggs?
You know what else is great when you’re drunk? Watching The Notebook.
From my personal perspective, if Baton Rouge wants to continue to grow as a city, it needs to develop a thicker skin. I like Louie’s just like the rest of you, but I’m also mature enough to admit that it’s really low on my list of restaurants when I’m looking to go out for a meal.
